Former Major League pitcher Yoervis Medina has passed away. Reports from his native Venezuela indicate that authorities believe Medina suffered a heart attack while driving, leading to a fatal car accident (via KIRO 7 News). He was 37 years old.
Medina pitched for the Mariners and Cubs from 2013 to 2015, working 146 innings in an identical number of games. He posted a career ERA of 3.08 with a strikeout rate of 23.1% and a walk rate of 12.4%. Most of his success came in his first two seasons, when Medina pitched to a 2.81 ERA with a 24.3% strikeout rate and 12.6% walk rate in 125 innings for the Mariners from 2013-14. During that span, he ranked 34th among 109 qualified relievers in ERA and 21st with a 53.5% groundball rate.
He was traded to the Cubs for Welington Castillo in May 2015 and appeared in five games for them with a 7.00 ERA, but spent most of the season in the minors. That was followed by brief stints in the Pirates and Phillies organizations in 2016, neither of which resulted in a big league decision. Medina then pitched in the Venezuelan Winter League from 2016 to 2020 before moving to the Italian Baseball League in 2023 and the Czech Baseball Extraliga in 2024.
In Seattle, Medina was teammates with Jesús Montero, who tragically died in a motorcycle accident earlier this month. We extend our condolences to Medina’s family, friends, loved ones and former teammates.
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